Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is slamming President Obama on his missteps when handling Iraq, a move political analyst Josh Rogin called a "direct rebuke to the White House’s messaging."
Panetta’s new memoir, Worthy Fights, details extensive criticism of the White House’s approach to defense and national security issues including the president’s refusal to accept counsel from cabinet-level officials.
Panetta said Obama was so eager to absolve U.S. involvement in Iraq because it was viewed as Bush’s problem. In his memoir, Panetta wrote he repeatedly advocated for keeping troops in Iraq.
"For the defense secretary under Obama to say that so clearly is a direct rebuke to the White House's messaging," Rogin said.
Rogin noted that Panetta’s frustration was felt by other administration officials.
"The White House policy was controlled by a very few number of people," Rogin said. "Top officials, secret level officials, cabinet level officials were often left aside."
Worthy Fights is out on Oct. 7.
